


Redeeming Sacrifice

by DayLightDove



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: All kinds of guilt, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Depressing Thoughts, Episode: s03e01-02 Rapunzel's Return, Friendship, Guilt, Hurt Varian (Disney), Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Major Character Injury, Manipulation, Medical Inaccuracies, Not necessarily but they aren't happy, Varian whump, from andrew, like the doctor, ocs are background characters, probably, suicidal thoughts?, the only ones with names means they just show up a lot, very hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25295758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayLightDove/pseuds/DayLightDove
Summary: Varian knew the princess. He knew she would find some way to stop him from helping with getting the airship high above the kingdom and, even worse, stay on the ship to deal with the problem herself despite the very real threat of not only being blown up, but also falling to death very soon after assuming the explosion did not kill them.And he wasn’t going to risk her life, not when it was his mess to clean up in the first place.So he acted quickly, placing a vial of one of his chemicals in her hand before pushing her over the edge of the airship.OrWhat if it had been Varian on the airship rather than Rapunzel when it exploded?
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Heads up, this be my first Tangled fanfic that was just tangled and not mixed with ROTBTD.
> 
> Yeah so this was made because like, Varian seemed ready to put his life on the line in that episode and I was like "oh? Are there stories of this potential hurt and comfort???? No? Kinda?" Well not enough for my liking so I decided to write one.  
> Now, boy doesn't die in this, because Varian is my child and I refuse to kill him without bringing him back. However, because he is my child he shall be hurt.
> 
> Alot.
> 
> Anywho, I took some liberties. Obviously a ship with chemicals enough to decimate a kingdom would typically kill someone without magical hair, but I tried to adjust it in a way so he could live, especially since people can survive from explosions. Also looking at all the one's he's experienced and will experience, such as the rooster where he was right next to it and only got away with Blast Ear, I'm like...ok...I can work with that. So he gonna be close to death but not die.  
> I did look up what can happen from an explosion but I'm also no doctor so when those come more into play, I apologize for any inaccuracies.
> 
> Also, warning for Varian's thoughts when he's on the ship. He doesn't exactly want to die, but his thoughts aren't really happy. 
> 
> Now, onto the chapter!

“You have to get off this ship. Rapunzel, I need to clean up my own mess.”

No, Rapunzel wouldn’t let him do that. She understood why, could see the regret and guilt in his eyes when he turned to look at her, but she also knew that she had a responsibility to her kingdom and her citizens. She needed to keep them safe, and Varian was just as much as one of her citizens as any other. She needed to keep him safe. She wasn’t going to lose another friend.

 _‘ Besides_ _,’_ She thought, leaving behind the last trail of thought as she knew where it would take her. _‘_ _He does not have a shield of magic hair to protect him from the explosion.’_

However, before she could convey any of this to the misguided teen before her, she felt Varian’s hand slip something into her own.

“I’m sorry.” Varian whispered, all his pain displayed in his tone. 

Then she was falling. Rapunzel could hear Pascal in her ear, crying out in fear and shock, but her eyes could only focus on Varian’s figure growing smaller and smaller as she fell to the kingdom below. She didn’t process the softly falling blue orb until it hit her ever so slightly, shattering.

Then she was floating ever so gently to the ground, hair flowing outside of the bubble she had been caught in.

The shattering had snapped her out of her shock, and Rapunzel let out a cry, pressing her hands against the transparent barrier. 

“No! Varian!” She cried, fits now pounding on the bubble. A pressure in her hand made her blink and open the fist. Pascal let out a small croak when the two of them spotted the bubble’s neutralizing agent in her palm. Her gaze shot back up to the airship, no longer able to see Varian due to the ship now rising higher into the sky. Her heart beat sped up at the thought of the teen left alone on the ship, death at his back. Despite everything he had done, she never wanted this, she doesn’t want Varian to die, especially not when she just got him back.

Steeling herself, Rapunzel looked down at the rooftops of her kingdom before turning to Pascal.

“I’m abandoning him, not again.” She stated determination in every word. She uncorked the neutralizing chemical. “Come on, Pascal, we have some work to do.”

The chameleon let out a squeak in agreement.

* * *

Varian knew the princess. He knew she would find some way to stop him from helping with getting the airship high above the kingdom and, even worse, stay on the ship to deal with the problem herself despite the very real threat of not only being blown up, but also falling to death very soon after assuming the explosion did not kill them. And sure, he knew that her hair was strong, hell he had been the one to help show the results of her indestructible hair and the protection the golden locks granted her. But at the same time, they were on a broken airship with gallons of a highly reactive and explosive chemical that he explained was enough to destroy the entire kingdom! He had do idea if her hair could stand the blast of such a reaction.

And he wasn’t going to risk her life, not when it was his mess to clean up in the first place.

So he acted quickly, placing a vial of one of his chemicals in her hand before pushing her over the edge of the airship. Even though he knew this was to protect her, he still couldn’t help the twinge in his chest at the fact he was endangering her all over again. He didn’t want to, not anymore at least. 

Shaking off the feeling, Varian thrust one of his bubble-creating orbs at the princess’s falling form, catching her in the floating sphere so that she could safely make it to the ground. After making sure that she was safe, Varian turned his attention back to the most pressing danger of the moment. He looked up at the remaining balloon on the front of the airship before his gaze dropped back down to the barrels of quirinium at were at the bottom part of the tipped over airship.

 _‘ No backing out now._ _’_ He thought swallowing thickly before he allowed his mind to trace over the collapsed ship. His eyes fell on one of the ropes from the now destroyed secondary balloon. His eyes returned to the upper portion of the ship, looking at the hook-like design of the now tilted bow. Good, he could use that as a pulley. He knew he wouldn’t be able to lift the barrels to the top of the ship without something such as this. The slope was too great and Varian himself wasn’t the strongest boy around. However, with all his large scale experiments and after months of building the automatons all by himself in his desolate home, he knew a thing about moving large objects with gravity acting as an asset to him. 

Acting quickly, Varian grasped the rope off the ground and hooked it over the bow. For the moment, he tied the end closest to him to the railing he was clinging to before he grasped the other end for dear life before dropping down to the barrels at the bottom of the ship. He jolted to a stop, heart pounding and chest heaving, before moving to tie the barrels to the rope. Then, with a grunt, he moved himself back to the railing and began climbing his way up as quickly as he could. 

Once he was up at the top, he began pulling the barrels up to him and the flame heating the air for the balloon. He had also added a few large pieces of broken wood to the other side of the pulley to help as a counter balance for the heavy barrels as he hoisted them up. His muscles in his arms screamed at him from the strain but he didn’t stop. He would not allow anything to get in the way of him sparing Corona from his mistake once more.

He was sweating by the time the barrels made their way up but he did not take a moment to breathe. Soon, he was whipping off the tops of the containers and holding the flame to the green chemical within. Quickly, the quirinium began heating up, boiling and splashing as the chemical reacted to the heat.

Varian turned his gaze to the kingdom below him. To think here he was again, causing problems to those around him. All he wanted to do was take the chance to get close to everyone again, to erase his problems, but he only made an even bigger mess of things. In the past, people had to clean up after him, after already causing them stress and danger. Honestly, he’s not that surprised his dad was never proud of him, and probably never will be. Really, this is the least he could do after everything. If he could do one thing right in his whole life, it might as well be done cleaning up after his own mistakes, especially before anything worse could happen.

And if it cost him his life? Well, then that was how it was going to be.

He wasn’t looking to die, not really, but if anyone was going to be sacrificed for the kingdom’s survival, it may as well be the kid who caused the problem in the first place. Besides, it's not like there will be much mourning for him anyway. Everyone in Corona hated him, and his chance of forgiveness is all but gone now. They might appreciate the fact that it was him rather than their princess that saved their country, if nothing else then because they wouldn’t have to lose her a second time. Sure, Rapunzel may be sad, but that would most likely be because they had just kinda-sorta made up and she cared for everyone. But, at least someone would care to some extent. Afterall, outside of Rapunzel, who else was there? His father was still trapped and, if he was being honest, there probably wasn’t any hope for him. Varian would love to be able to save his father before, but if it came down to his death, then at least he could do one thing that would (hopefully) make Quirin proud. As for Ruddiger, Varian did not know where his friend (former friend?) was. The raccoon left when he joined the Saporians, not wanting to take part in the scheme. Really, Varian couldn’t blame him. He’s shocked and thankful that his little friend had been able to escape and not deal with any of Varian’s messes. He hoped he was happy and wasn’t too sad if the alchemist didn’t make it out of this.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Varian returned his focus to the raising airship. He could tell from the glow coming from the barrels that there wouldn’t be much time until it combusted. He looked over the ledge and let out a soft sigh when he noticed that the airship was getting close to being high enough above the kingdom. It was just reaching over the point of the highest tower of the castle when a quick boom sounded from besides him. Varian gasped as the barrel’s ignited into green flames that quickly spread across the wooden ship. He moved out of the way of the flames, climbing over the wooden rails and ropes to escape the green blaze. He knew now there would only be a few moments until the entire ship exploded. He looked down at the kingdom once more, eyes glinting when he realized the added heat had risen the ship even higher into the sky. At this altitude, the only thing Corona would have to worry about was the remaining debris that rained from the wreckage, and even that should be relatively small with how quickly the fire was eating away at the wood.

However, Varian couldn’t help the small shutter that went through him at the sight of the height. This was it, wasn’t it? If he survives this explosion, there was no way he would be able to survive the following fall. He had no more chemicals to help as he had done with Rapunzel, many of them being lost in the scuffle with the Saporians. The height in itself would most likely do him in and that’s not counting whatever injuries he gains from the initial explosion.

Still, burning alive doesn’t seem all that pleasant so Varian tried to move as far as he could from the main point of the chemical explosion to hopefully minimize the damage. Besides, there was always a small chance he could survive this, right? That small glimmer of hope in the back of his head was saying that maybe Rapunzel would come up with something to save him. She cared for him, to some degree at least, so maybe she was working on a way to help him now? Varian’s eyes tried to scan the dark streets for any sign of bright, golden hair, hope blooming in his chest for just a few seconds. Maybe she-!

Varian flinched when he felt fire lick at his gloved hands. Despite the layers of clothing, the flames were hot enough that Varian knew if they touched his clothing, he would have a burn beneath very quickly. That said, he quickly scrambled away from the flames, his search for Rapunzel having taken his attention. He used the railings once more to scramble down, away from most of the fire. As he did, his eyes took in the distance between him and the rooftops. Could he somehow fall onto one of the taller roofs without dying? Maybe if he got far enough down the ship he could-

_Crack!_

The alchemist flinched at the sound of snapping wood.

 _‘I’m going to die.’_ He thought, eyes watering at the thought. He did not want to die, not really but at least if someone had to sacrifice themselves, it was someone people wouldn’t miss. At least he could do one good thing before everything was done.

Swallowing thickly and trying to ignore the smoke now permeating the air, Varian allowed himself to take one last look at Corona. He couldn’t help but start sending out silent apologies to everyone in the kingdom. He sent them out to all those he hurt and terrified. He sent it to the King and Queen who even now were hurt by his actions. He apologized to the princess and her friends, knowing that at least for a while, he had people he could call friends. He apologized to his father for all the wrongs and mistakes he made. He apologized to Ruddiger who had stood by him all that time only to be pushed aside and hurt. Hopefully, his little buddy was somewhere safe and sound.

And as he sent out these apologies, tears slipped down his cheeks for the sorrow building in his chest. He really wished he could do more. He did not want to die like this, hated by all and never even having the chance to personally say goodbye. He wasn’t looking for forgiveness, not because he didn’t want it but he still doubts (despite the princess’s words while they were locked up together) that he could ever be granted it. No, he’s just sad he couldn’t do more for the kingdom he hurt so much, for the innocent people he hurt in his darkest moments. He would like to try to redeem himself, but if the only way that was possible now was through his death, then he hoped it was enough. He hoped the one good thing he could do in his life was enough to help the people.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and wait for death, Varian caught sight of something blonde flashing down in the streets far below him. Leaning a little down to get a better look at the streak of yellow, Varian was almost afraid to get his hopes up when he realized who it was.

“Rapunzel?” He questioned in shock, eyes widening. Maybe, there was a chance? Maye-!

There was a large blast and then all Varian knew was darkness.

* * *

Eugene was moving as quickly as he could back to the city. He had seen the ship collapse from where he and Lance had been rescuing the King and Queen, and once he knew they were safe, he began to race back as quickly as he could to the city. The entire way back, he allowed his eyes to keep sight of the airship, heart stopping when he thought he saw Rapunzel’s hair glinting in the moonlight while the ship was tilted, but the distance not allowing him an accurate glance of the situation.

Once his feet actually carried him into the city of Corona, he focused on finding the love of his life as he couldn’t see her flowing hair from the quickly rising airship.

“Rapunzel!?” He called, eyes flitting around as he looked for any sign of the princess. His heart was racing in his chest but he also knew, at the back of his mind, that she would be fine. Rapunzel always turned out ok in the end, but that didn’t make the worrying part any better. However, as he continued to get further underneath the area of the airship, a flash of blonde and purple caught his eyes and Eugene was rushing to pull Rapunzel into his arms.

“You’re ok!” He cried, pulling away from the embrace to smile at her. “I mean, I knew you’d be ok but still! Also, how are you down here and the airship is still in the air? I mean, I assume you have a plan or something, you usually have a plan, especially since you took hair-stripe with you and...hey where is that kid?” Eugene looked around the area for the alchemist only to come up empty. When he looked back at Rapunzel, he saw the dire look on her face and the way it was directed up at the airship. “Blondie? Don’t tell me…”

Rapunzel shook her head, pushing past Eugene to continue following the now brightly burning airship. “We don’t have any time, Eugene. We need to get to Varian before that ship explodes.”

“Rapunzel...I don’t know if-”

“No!” Rapunzel cut him off, turning to flash him a water glare. “We are not abandoning him, not again.” She took a deep breath before whispering. “I’m not losing another friend.”

“No, no, you’re right.” Eugene tried to appease. “How can I help?”

“I-” This time Rapunzel was cut off, but it wasn’t by her boyfriend. High above them, a large boom sounded through the air and a harsh wind came from the point. Both of them whipped their heads up to the blazing fire that was once the airship, horror in their eyes.

“No…” Rapunzel whispered in disbelief, hands clenching before shouting in denial. “No! No, Varian!”

“Rapunzel, there!” Eugene suddenly shouted, though his voice was not much calmer. Following the direction of his finger, Rapunzel could just make out a figure falling through the air. Without hesitation, Rapunzel let her instincts take over, sprinting to the rapidly descending figure. Eyes flashing around, Rapunzel found a building she was able to pull herself up onto with a quick snap of her hair, allowing herself to climb higher and higher as the other came closer to the ground. Below, Eugene was keeping an eye out himself, hoping that at the very least he could be there to catch the kid, even if he wouldn’t be able to buffer much of the landing. Sure, the kid was skinny and would be easy to carry for Eugene but catching him with gravity at play and his own momentum from running to be beneath the kid would definitely impact the catch.

Up on the rooftops, Rapunzel continued to run and snap her hair, pushing herself as hard as she could to reach Varian. When she felt she was in reach, Rapunzel whipped her hair once more through the air to latch onto a building across the street and leapt off the roof just as Varian was right above her. With one hand clutching her hair, her other snapped out and caught the dead weight of the boy with a grunt. Pulling him in close, she allowed momentum to carry her to the end point of her hair before quickly lowering herself and Varian to the ground. Not wasting a second, not even to untangle her hair from the building, Rapunzel shifted Varian in her arms and gasped at the sight of the unconscious boy.

Soot covered most of his body, and what wasn’t were clearly burns or lacerations. With how torn, bloody, and dirty he was all together, Rapunzel could not pinpoint all of his exact injuries, especially not in the small amount of light the night time was granting her. However, she also noted blood was sluggishly dripping from his ears and his breath seemed to be rattling in his chest, as well as a noticeable cut across one of his cheeks, near his eye.

“Varian?” Rapunzel called, tapping his cheek in hopes of getting a response, tears building in her eyes. “Varian? Please, please be ok!”

“Oh, kid.” Eugene whispered, breath catching in his chest at the sight of the young teen. No matter what Varian had done, he didn’t deserve this. Steeling himself, Eugene quickly knelt next to Rapunzel from where she was still trying to wake the still form of Varian. After making note of the soft, rattling breaths of the alchemist, Eugene placed a hand on the princess’s shoulder.

“Rapunzel, we need to get him to the castle. He needs help.”

Rapunzel couldn’t take her eyes away from her hurt friend, and with the shock coursing through her body, could hardly process anything outside of what her eyes were focused on.

“Rapunzel.”

His firmer tone reached her, and with a sharp gasp, Rapunzel’s eyes shot up to meet Eugene’s.

“Rapunzel, we need to get help.”

“R….R-Right, yes...yes of course!” She stuttered, mind still whirling from everything that had happened recently. She quickly gathered Varian into her arms and moved to rush to the castle only to yelp when her hair kept her from moving forward. Eugene, having kept close to her side, quickly shot out a hand to steady her. Looking back, Rapunzel remembered she hadn’t untangled her hair from the post of the building. “Oh...I-”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Eugene soothed, moving to shift Varian into his arms so Rapunzel could undo her hair. Though she seemed reluctant, Rapunzel allowed the change and scrambled to take her hair down, emotions messing with the familiar action. Once it was free, the two were racing to the castle, hearts racing with worry in their chests.

They weren’t going to let Varian down again. 

They weren’t going to lose another friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, this is another chapter!  
> I don't own tangled obviously.  
> Look! I posted during Whumptober! And depending on my abilities there may be another chapter coming soon! (don't hold me to it though. Collage has me stressed lately)  
> Thank you all so much for liking this story! I love that you love it!!!  
> Onto the chapter!

Feet scrambled as they rushed to the castle, with many of the guards and citizens moving out of their way with confused and shocked looks upon their faces. Eugene and Rapunzel couldn't spare them any attention though. As soon as they came within sight of the castle, they had called to the guards before them to grab the physician, all while rushing as fast as their feet could carry them towards the physician's chambers. As they grew nearer to the chamber, there was the sound of running coming toward them and soon the physician and a few of her assistants where before them as well as accompanied by a few guards

"Your Highness!" She cried, panting a little as she stopped before the princess. "I was told you needed me urgently!"

"Yes, yes, please!" Rapunzel cried, tears building in her eyes. She motioned to the still form of Varian in Eugene's arms. "You need to help him! H-He's hurt a-and...and please you need to help him! You need to save him!"

"Get the room prepped." The physician ordered one of the assistants before motioning two of the guards forward, each holding the end of a stretcher. Then, she turned to Eugene who was already moving to put Virian's body softly onto the stretcher. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"He was on the ship." Eugene answered, face grim. "He was on there to make sure that when it exploded, Corona would be safe."

The physician frowned. She and most likely everyone near the castle saw the explosion high above their sky. The fact that the boy was alive at the moment was a miracle in itself.

"Please help him!" Rapunzel cried again. "Please! I-I know he's done wrong but...but he's just a kid a-and he's good a…*sob* and please, please help him!"

"His past doesn't matter." The physician stated firmly as the two guards swiftly turned and began making their way to the medical chamber once Virian was securely on the stretcher. "We'll do whatever we can to help him, your majesty, we promise." And with that, she turned to follow the procession headed quickly to the medical chamber.

Rapunzel buried her head into her hands with a sob, eyes peeking through fingers to watch as those holding her young friend's life walked further away. Eugene gives a soft shush, hands coming up to gently cradle her shoulders, rubbing small circles into her skin as he attempted to comfort her.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be ok. The kid's a fighter, we know that as well as anyone." Eugene spoke softly. "I'm sure it won't be long before he's moving around and fixing up weird inventions and chemicals."

Rapunzel opened her mouth, ready to say something in return to his comforting words, when one of the remaining guards spoke up

"I don't mean to be rude, your highness," He said, shuffling awkwardly but there was an urgency in his voice and step. "But I must ask, where are the King and Queen? Are they safe? And what of the other Saporians?"

Any relief Rapunzel had taken from Eugene's comforting words were washed away as she remembered that while she and Varian had been dealing with the Saporians, Eugene and Lance had been rescuing her parents. Her head whipped to face Eugene, worry and distress very clear on her face once again.

"Eugene-!"

"They're fine." Eugene answered, his hands, which were still gripping her shoulders, gave another comforting squeeze. Then he turned to the guard. "Lance and Maximus were looking after them, bringing them back to the castle. They're safe. As for the other Saporians...er...one of them is with Max and Lance…" He trailed off, looking back at Rapunzel with a raised eyebrow. After all, she and Varian had been the only two on the ship, and he highly doubts that they were on the ship when it exploded.

Taking a deep breath to somewhat calm herself, Rapunzel choked out. "T-They have bubbles around them, uh...one of V-V...Varian's inventions. They probably can't move in them very well, so they should be...be floating in the kingdom somewhere."

Nodding in response, the guard turned to the ones in the corridor with him, commanding them to get the other guards out and searching for the Saporians, as well as keeping an eye out for any citizen that may have been harmed from the debris. It wasn't likely, as both Rapunzel and Eugene had been beneath the explosion when retrieving Varian and had only felt the shockwave from the explosion and some dust, but they understood there was a chance there could have been some surviving parts that could have fallen and caused harm. Plus, Varian was in one piece, so there was a chance some debris survived the explosion as well.

As the guards took off, Eugene turned his attention back to Rapunzel. "Hey, why don't we go sit down somewhere, yeah? It's...it's been quite a day." He didn't wait for a response as he began guiding Rapunzel down the hall.

"But, Varian-!" Rapunzel protested, looking back in the direction that the physician's chamber was.

"They'll come get us when they have taken care of everything, but right now you need to sit down and take a breath." Eugene comforted. "We don't even have to go very far. There are lots of rooms down this way, we can use one of those."

As they continued walking, one of the servants passed by, smiling happily at the sight of the two of them. Eugene was quick to flag him down with a wave of his hand.

"I'm glad you've returned your highness!" The servant cried cheerfully with a wide smile. "How can I help you?"

"There's a room down here we can just...wait in, right?" Eugene asked. "Cause, we have a friend being looked after right now and we'd like to get the news about him as soon as possible."

The servant blinked for a moment before nodding his head and gesturing for the two of them to follow him. "Yes, right this way. It's not too far from the physician's chamber and it's not unusual to have family members wait there for the injured." The servant replied as he led them through the corridors. At the words 'family members' a small gasping sob escaped Rapunzel's lips making both Eugene and the servant stop and look at her.

"Your highness?" The servant asked, concerned for his princess.

"Hey, hey Blondie what is it?" Eugene asked softly, trying to look Rapunzel in the eye as she cried, burying her face once more in her hands.

"Oh my god!" She sobbed. "T-This is all my fault!"

"Hey, woah! What are you talking about?!" Eugene cried, shock taking over his face at her words. "What is your fault?"

"Varian!"

"Woah, no, no, Varian's condition right now is not your fault!"

"Yes it is! I-If I had just been there for him-" Another sob cut her off, tears spilling from her eyes and her chest rose and fell sharply with her breaths.

"Ok, ok, let's just...let's sit down and talk this out, ok?" Eugene said, motioning for the servant to finish showing them to the room and, once there, quickly guided the sobbing princess inside.

He moved her to sit down on the small couch in the room, all while cooing and shushing her, trying to get the light of his life to stop crying. The servant slipped quietly outside without prompting and Eugene couldn't be more grateful.

"Rapunzel, Blondie, I need you to breathe here." Eugene said, pulling her into his arms.

Rapunzel shook her head, tears streaming faster as one of her hands moved from her mouth to clasp her hair.

"Come on, Blondie, just breathe." Eugene began to take deep, slow breaths, attempting to encourage Rapunzel to copy his breathing. "Just breathe and everything will be ok."

"B-B...but it won't be!" She cried, curling in tighter to him.

"Why? Can you tell me why?"

"Be-Because this...this is all my fault! E-Every-thing w...wi...with Va-Varian!"

Eugene shushed her once again to try to calm her down, one hand running through her hair. "Breathe. What do you mean? Are you talking about the explosion? Rapunzel, I know you. You didn't choose to leave Varian up there. In fact, I know you would have been the one up there if he didn't stop you! His current condition is not, in any way, your fault!"

"But it is!" Rapunzel cried, her hands pushing herself out of Eugene's arms to look him in the eyes. Tears were still streaking down her face as her blood shot eyes stared him down.

"What are you-?"

" _If I had helped Varian save his dad none of this would have happened!_ _"_

Silence. Save for the occasional sniffle from Rapunzel, there was a heavy silence hanging over the room. Eugene could feel the way his mouth hung open as he froze, brain screeching to a halt as her words rang in his ears. The two continued to stare at each other, time seemingly standing still, until Eugene chose to break it.

"Rapunzel-"

"No!" She cried, eyes clenching shut as she stood up, feet leading her into an angry pace. "No! Eugene you don't get it! If...If I had just helped him back in the blizzard, reached out to him, he wouldn't be here!"

"Rap-"

"A-And then he would never have done all those…those horrible things! A-And he not have g-gone to prison! He wouldn't have been stuck with those...those...those manipulative jerks!-"

"Blondie-"

"He would have stayed our friend! He _should_ have stayed our friend!"

"Hey-"

"We never should have left him alone! Why did we do that!?-" A sob

"Stop it!" Eugene shouted, he himself now standing and grasping Rapunzel's shoulder's once more, giving a slight shake to her. "Rapunzel, just stop! None of that was ever your fault, ok? And...and even if you could have done something, you can't do anything about it now. You can't change the past." His voice grew softer as he trailed off, one of his hands coming up to wipe away the tears that had been spilling down the blonde's cheeks.

"But...but what if we could have done something? What if, if we had, he wouldn't be hurt right now?" Rapunzel asked, eyes still trained at the ground.

"Hey, look at me for a second." Eugene requested softly, his hand on her cheek urging her to tilt her head up to look at him. After a few seconds, she did and her beautiful green eyes looked hopelessly up into his own. "There you go. Now, as I said, we can't do anything to change the past. None of this is your fault, nothing, ok? I know you did everything you could at the time, both in the past and now. The best thing you can do for him is to be there for the kid now. Besides, you've already started being there for him, remember? You got him back on our side and, when he started falling, you caught him and brought him here to be saved." His finger stroked her cheek. "You're a good friend Rapunzel. And even if it hurts to see him like this, I know you'll be there for him every step of the way."

Rapunzel took a deep breath, letting it out with a soft sigh, and leaned into the hand on her cheek. "Thank you, Eugene. It's just...with everything that's happened from...from Cass," She choked out the name, speaking it for the first time since everything began. "And now Varian...I just don't want to lose anyone else."

"And you're not going to." Eugene said. "Besides, didn't you say Varian was back on our side? Our friend again? You're not gonna lose him. As I said before, he's a tough kid. He's not going to stay down easily."

Rapunzel let out a small chuckle at that, but couldn't spare more energy than that. After the past few days' events, she was worn out and tired, which was only amplified after the breakdown she just had. With a heavy body, she sat herself back down onto the couch, Eugene following her down. She leant against his side with his arm wrapped around her.

"Do you want to talk about anything else?" Eugene whispered, not wanting to disturb the quiet peace that seemed to fall over the two of them.

"I know I should, and I do, I just…" She sighed. "I'm just tired right now."

"That's fine. I'll be here whenever you want to talk."

* * *

At some point, the two of them had drifted off, Eugene lying on the couch with Rapunzel draped over him. They dozed lightly for a while, minds empty of even dreams as they were too tired to spend even the energy needed for that.

At some point, the soft creak of a door roused Eugene enough to open his eyes. From one of the windows he could see that the sun had already begun to rise into the sky, which made sense since all the commotion of stopping the Saporians and getting Varian some help had happened late into the night. Turning his gaze back to the door, Eugene could see a small woman standing there, looking as though she was about to close the door but stopped at seeing him looking at her.

"Oh," She softly gasped, a smile coming to her lips. But there was something strained about it, the way it didn't reach her eyes which looked worried in their own right.

"Yes?" Eugene whispered, hoping not to wake the girl sleeping on his chest. He knew how much Rapunzel needed her sleep and could only hope that she was tired enough to sleep undisturbed for a while.

"I can come back later, if you want." The woman said, gesturing with her head at the sleeping princess. "I just came to give you an update on young Varian."

Almost instinctively, Eugene went to lurch up from where he was laying only to pause when he felt Rapunzel's weight on him. In his worry to find out how Varian was doing, he forgot for a second that she had been sound asleep on his chest. With a wince, he glanced down at her to make sure she was still asleep, letting out a relieved breath when all she did was shift at his movement. Looking back up at the woman, who he now recognized as one of the physician assistants, he frowned.

"Sorry." He whispered. "So...so how is he?"

"Well," The assistant hesitantly answered. "He's...He's cleaned up now. His clothing was thick, and though that seemed to help, he still has a number of burns on his body, especially at parts where there were less coverings or just skin showing. Not only that, but we believe he has injured his ears as well, as a lot of blood had been coming from those. However, we won't be able to tell how well his head is nor how well he can hear, not unless he wakes up. Then there are also his lungs which are also extremely concerning, especially with the way he is wheezing. And there's also a chance he has a few fractured bones."

"But you can take care of that, right?"

"We can take care of the burns, cuts, and breaks, even his breathing can be somewhat controlled. However, the rest of it depends on if he wakes up."

Eugene froze, noticing the word choice there. "If? What do you mean, if?"

The assistant sighed, her face becoming grim. "He has yet to wake, and with the state of his head and his breathing, he's in danger of not doing so. We'll be keeping a rotation throughout the day to keep watch over him, but we can only do so much."

Eugene could feel the way the blood left his face, shock overcoming his body as he slumped into the couch. "But…"

Coming forward just a bit, the assistant tried to give a smile to relieve a few of his worries. "While I know what I said, I also want to say that, should he make it through today and tonight, then that means he should begin to stabilize and he has a greater chance of surviving."

"Can...can we see him?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized with a shake of her head. "But Miss Cynthia has made it clear that he is to stay in the physician's chamber until stable enough to breathe with relative ease. Once stable enough, then you'll be able to visit, but until then she doesn't want to risk an infection or have others in the way should something...unfortunate happen."

"O-Oh, right, that makes sense." He trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

The assistant hesitated for a moment, mouth opening and closing a few times before speaking. "Is there...is there anyone else who needs to be informed of his condition?"

No. There wasn't. And looking at the assistant, Eugene knew she also knew this fact. Afterall, who wouldn't know about the young boy who captured the queen and raged war on Corona? After looking the assistant in the eye, she gave a nod of understanding before gently closing the door once more, whispering a soft farewell and a promise to keep them updated on Varian.

With a heavy sigh, Eugene dropped fully back down onto the couch, eyes staring hopelessly up at the ceiling of the castle, wishing that it didn't have to be like this. The kid was just so young. He shouldn't be in this situation, should never have been in any of the horrible situations that he had been through. Yet he did, and they could only try to be with him now.

Eugene said it himself, that Varian was strong, but how far can that strength really take him? Would his fight to save Corona be the last action his determination and heart truly have for this kingdom? The kingdom that chased him away and locked him up besides terrorists?

Despite all the things he had done in the past, Varian was just a misguided kid deep down, a kid who had just done what he could to be heard and to make things right (even if he had gone about it in very very bad ways).

And with that thought, another wave of guilt came down upon Eugene, because how could it not? He had left that kid just as much as any of the others, but the worst thing Eugene couldn't help but regret was what he thought when he realized exactly who it had been that was on the balloon.

He felt relieved that Rapunzel had not been on that ship.

Now, this doesn't mean he wanted the kid to be hurt, far from it, but the fact that it had been Varian who had been in danger rather than Rapunzel had sent a small wave of relief through his body. He just couldn't shake that wave of guilt that now settled in the bottom of his chest.

He could only pray that Varian would make it through the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that! Thought about making it longer but I liked where it ended. Like, not completely but I wanted the next chapter to have the things that happened after that, if you get what I mean.  
> I'll warn you all now though, I did look up blast injuries for Varian as well as some other effects caused by said injuries. He won't get them all, but he's definitely not spared. He will have lasting effects from this. Muhahahaha! That said, there will probably still be medical inaccuracies because I'm sure I'll mess something up. I'm not a doctor, at least not yet. And even then I'm not gonna be that kind of doctor.  
> Feel free to comment or anything else! They make my day no matter what is said!  
> Until next time! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, this is another chapter!  
> I don't own tangled obviously.  
> Ok! I'm back! I'm glad you all love this! Also this is a longer chapter with someone we've all been waiting for to appear! I also make people cry but hey its what I do.  
> Thank you for all your love and support and comments!  
> Onto the chapter!

"Come on, Blondie, standing outside of the chamber isn't going to make anything better." Eugene sighed as he looked over his girlfriend. Once the two had finally crawled their way out of bed at a time much later than what they usually would have been, Rapunzel had darted towards the medical chamber despite Eugene telling her what the physician's assistant had informed him. "We can't even go in there right now."

"I know but I...I just want to be there for him, you know?" Rapunzel replied, ringing her fingers together.

"I know, but there really isn't much we can do for him right now." Eugene added. "Look, you got some rest and I'm sure after all that activity last night you're probably hungry, I know I am. So how about we go get some food, catch up on everything, and maybe just relax if you can for a little while. They'll come get us when they need us."

Rapunzel sighed, but she couldn't stop her eyes from trailing back to the door. "You're right, I know you are...it's just...hard not being able to do anything."

"Trust me Rapunzel, I know." Eugene replied, as he placed his hand on her shoulder in a show of support, a squeak came from the other side of her neck. Turning their attention to Rapunzel's small companion, she offered her hand for Pascal to climb into her hand, bringing the chameleon in front of them.

"What is it?" Rapunzel asked, tilting her head slightly.

With a chirp, Pascal pointed to the doors of the medical chamber with his tail before looking back at Rapunzel. Then, he also allowed himself to change colors, first to blend in with the castle walls and then to turn a distinctive brunette color with a single strip of blue.

"Oh! You would do that?" Rapunzel asked, eyes brightening a bit and getting a nod in return. "Thank you so much. Please, let me know how he's doing when you can."

With a salute, Pascal leapt off of her hand and blended into his surroundings as he made his way into the medical chamber to keep an eye on Varian for his friend."

Rapunzel watched Pascal disappear, her hand coming up to form a fist against her chest. Knowing that her life long friend had done this so she could have some small amount of peace in this situation, Rapunzel took a deep breath before turning back to Eugene.

"Ok!" She said, obviously trying to be as happy as she could at the moment. "Let's uh go get something to eat then!"

They made their way down the hall, the air obviously tense around them with the worry they had for their young friend constantly burning in the back of their minds. Eugene tried to make light conversation as they made their way to the dining hall, but even he could tell that he was falling flat with his lighthearted attempts despite the small, grateful smile Rapunzel sent him. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up.

However, as they drew near the hall, a familiar voice called out to them, relief clear in their voice.

"Rapunzel! Eugene! Thank goodness you're alright!" They turned to see Lance running up to them, relief on his face as his eyes trailed over both of them. "I wanted to catch up with you last night, but by the time I got to the castle, you were gone and the guards were wanting me to help track down the last Saporians. Then, when I finally got here, I still couldn't find you two and checked the med area but neither of you were there and no one would tell me where you were, saying not to disturb you." He huffed, clearly out of breath from his rant before grinning even brighter than before. "But obviously you guys are fine. You had me worried there when I saw the ship catch on fire."

Despite the smile he gave both Rapunzel and Eugene, the way Rapunzel looked to the floor and Eugene wrapped an arm around her said something that he did not know.

"What is it?" He asked, smile dropping to leave a serious face.

"Something did happen when the ship caught on fire…" Eugene started, trying to use his arm as a way to comfort Rapunzel when she started to tremble slightly in his grasp.

"Was it Varian?" Lance asked. "I noticed the kid wasn't with the Saporians and he's not with you now...did he betray you?!"

"No!" Rapunzel shouted, cutting in has her hands clenched into fists. "No! Varian...Varian got hurt! He...he sacrificed himself and...and now he's hurt and we can't see him-!"

"Sh, sh, hey the physician's looking after him, remember?" Eugene tried to comfort. "I'm sure we'll see him soon."

Lance was frozen for a moment, mind trying to take in the information he was just given. "You...You mean the kid was on the ship when it…" He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence and make it real.

Only...Eugene gave him a grim nod in return despite the unfinished statement.

He did not know how he felt about that. Lance did not know the kid that well, never really interacting with him and then after only witnessing how he turned on the kingdom and threatened the royal family. Sure, before Varian turned evil he occasionally heard a few tales about him here and there and was fascinated with the idea of his inventions. Even as the kid fought against them, the fact that this teenager was able to create such mind blowing inventions struck wonder in Lance's heart. But, he had still been their enemy and even if Rapunzel had trusted Varian in that prison, his brother had not so Lance had held a small portion of suspicion.

But that also didn't mean he wanted the kid to get hurt. A small part of him had always sympathised with the kid. After all, Varian had become an orphan and no one was reaching out a hand to help in, if what the alchemist said was completely true. Lance himself had been in that situation, and orphan on the streets having to fend for himself and make a living through criminal ways.

But at the same time Lance never went out of his way to hurt people either.

And that was where the conflict rose within him. He felt bad for this kid but having only seen witness of the harm he brought to others, he wasn't brought to tears like Rapunzel. At most, his heart hurt because no one deserved to suffer-especially if Lance thought about the wounds he must have after that explosion-especially not someone that young.

All he could let out in response was a soft, "I see." to the princess's dwindling sobs.

"Hey, Lance," Eugene spoke up after Rapunzel was able to calm down once more. "We were heading to get something to eat, you want to join? We can also catch up a little while we do so."

"Sure." Lance said slowly, following the two into the large dining room where they each took a seat at the grand table. Neither the queen or king were present, but there was a small amount of relief knowing that they could have some little moment of peace before the rest of last night continued to catch up with them. Soon a servant was scurrying over with food for the three of them. Eugene attempted to start up conversation by inquiring about any more events that had taken place before the two of them had woken up, but there wasn't much to tell beyond just the kingdom slowly coming out of hiding and returning back to their normal lives before the Saporians took over. Plus, with the Captain of the Guards still away and the king and queen still compromised, things were going as well as they could be.

"I mean, it's good that they caught the Saporians, though." Lance said, trying to give a small smile to the princess.

"Yeah, I guess." Rapunzel sighs. "There's just...so much going on…" She trailed off, wanting to say more but unable to find the words.

"And you've been through a lot." Eugene comforts. "It's ok if you're still a little upset. Take whatever time you need. I know you'll be able to pull through this."

Rapunzel shook her head. "But it's not me that I'm worried about. Yes, a lot has happened, but I'm not walking around without my memories. I wasn't forced to mine in a cave for some chemical and I'm...I'm not lying injured in a bed somewhere waiting until I wake up!"

"Rapunzel-"

She shook her head, cutting Eugene off with a soft look. "I know, I know I need to work through everything and I know you'll be there for me. But, I can't just sit by and not do anything for a few days or...or however long it will take for me to...process. I need to do something, and if I can't help Varian at the moment...then I'll find someone I can help."

"Yeah, I know." Eugene sighed but he did give Rapunzel a soft smile of understanding in return.

"Lance, is there anyone around who has a better understanding of everything that's happened? Like, did you see Nigel? He'll have to know what I can do."

Lance perked up. "Oh, Nigel? Yeah, yeah, I think he was with the king and queen last I saw."

"Great!" Rapunzel cried, standing from her seat with a strained smile. "Let go find him then!"

Soon the trio was making their way through the halls of the castle once more. Thankfully, they did not have to search for long because as they neared the war room where Nigel was directing a few of the guards there.

"Nigel! There you are!" Rapunzel exclaimed, relaxing slightly at the sight of the other knowing he would help deal with some of the fall out that had occurred.

At the sound of her voice, Nigel turned away from the guards he had been speaking with and smiled at the princess as she came up to him. "Ah! Princess Rapunzel! I'm so glad to see you. I know you were here last night, afterall, you helped take down the Saporians, but since I hadn't seen you yet I was a little worried."

"Ah, well, it was a long night." Rapunzel replied nervously, twirling her fingers together. "Anyway I was wondering if there was anything I could do? You know to help with," She waved her hand. "Everything that's happened?"

"Well, most things are already being taken care of." Nigel said, turning back to the paper he had resting upon the war table. "Their Majesties are as comfortable as they can be in their...current situation but hopefully it won't take long to restore their memories. Messengers have gone out to retrieve the search parties that have yet to return to inform them of your return. The damages done to both the castle and any buildings that may have been caught in the commotion last night are being worked on, which thankfully there wasn't much to fix in comparison to what it could have been."

"Was anyone else hurt?" Rapuzel asked, worried for her citizens.

Nigel shook his head. "No, it seems that the explosion had taken most of the ship with it so even if there were any stray debris from the explosion, no one was hurt. We're right now trying to help the citizens return to their normal routines."

Rapunzel sighed in relief, her mind already moving to think of ways to help bring joy back to her citizens. As much as she would want to help her parents retrieve their memories, she wasn't sure if she could face them just yet.

"And of course, once everyone is locked up once again, I'm sure everyone will feel much safer."

"Wait, what?" Rapunzel cut in, and she was not the only one staring in confusion at the advisor. Behind her, Lance and Eugene had broken off their own conversation to stare at the man before them. "What do you mean when everyone is locked up? I thought all the Saporians were caught?"

Nigel nodded. "They were. But from what I understand Varian is currently in the medical ward, not a prison cell, so he still needs to be returned to the dungeons."

"What?!" The three shouted, staring at Nigel, shock and horror written across their faces.

"No!" Rapunzel cried, shaking her head and clenching her fists. "No, Varian will not be going back in the dungeons! He's too hurt!"

"Yes, I know." Nigel replied. "But I'm talking about once he's healed enough to return to the dungeons."

"Not even then! Nigel, he's hurt because he saved Corona! He was the one who got the balloon high enough to save everyone!"

"After he was the one who created the bomb in the first place."

Rapunzel shook her head once more. "But not to hurt anyone! He just wanted to be accepted by everyone again, to fix things!"

"Not hurt anyone?!" Nigel scoffed. "My princess, if I recall, he tried very well to hurt both you and your parents-"

"But he was pushed into doing that!" Rapunzel cut in. "Before that, Varian didn't hurt anyone, not even if his inventions misfired! He cared about others so much the first thing I ever saw him create was a safe way to keep animals from getting into homes! Yes, he should never have attacked us, but he was confused and lost and all we did was turn our back on him when he needed us most!" Tears were in her eyes again but she tried to hold them back. She's cried too much already. "No one ever helped him and he couldn't even come to us because people were treating him like a criminal because of some rumor that he attacked me!"

Nigel frowned. "What rumor? From what I understand, even if his...inventions never caused harm, I clearly remember him grabbing you during that awful blizzard."

"But that wasn't an attack, Nigel! He was scared and desperate! You knew that, didn't you?" Her voice trailed off at the end of the question, eyes begging that Nigel had no part to play in the persecution of Varian.

"That was not how it looked to me, your highness." Nigel replied stiffly.

"Wait a minute, you're the reason why hair-stripe was hunted down!?" Eugene cried, eyes wide with horror. "He hadn't done anything, at least not at that point!"

"Nigel…" Rapunzel whispered.

Nigel stood a little straighter, clearly coming to his own defense as he spoke. "I did what had to be done, princess. If anything, I was right because then he attacked you and the kingdom."

"So what, after all of that you thought the best solution to dealing with a clearly bitter, traumatized kid was to throw him into the dungeon next to some Saporian jerks who clearly went out of their way to manipulate the kid?" Eugene stressed, obviously unhappy with the way things had gone down. Sure, he wasn't happy with the kid for attacking everyone, but at the same time it almost seemed like they did everything to push Varian to the edge of hopelessness.

"Nigel, please tell me someone was trying to help Varian while he was here." After all, they told her before she left that they would take care of him. Did they lie? Or was this their version of helping Varian?

Nigel shuffled a bit in place. "You're mother, her Majesty, occasionally went to the dungeons to see Varian, but he was never very receptive of her from what I understood."

Despite the saddening news that no one sought Varian out besides her mother and left him to deal with whatever poisonous words Andrew spoke to him to give him hope, Rapunzel still couldn't help the small bud of relief and joy when she knew that not everyone abandoned him. Her mother, the one Varian had kidnapped and threatened with the same fate as his father, still reached out to Varian out of the kindness of her heart. Clearly one voice was not enough to be heard over the many lies from the Saporians, but Rapunzel liked to think that her mother got through to him just enough that he wanted to come back to them, that he had the change of heart despite taking the wrong path to get there.

Taking a shuddering breath to calm herself once more, Rapunzel opened her eyes to look back at Nigel. "Varian is not going back in that cell, not even when he heals. He's risking his life for the sake of the kingdom even when he did not have too, not when only one out of the hundreds of people here reached out to him. Because even if you don't trust him, you at least owe it to him for every wrong doing that was done to him."

Her voice had been strong and quiet, the voice of a ruler. Eugene stared at his girlfriend with pride. Lance and the guards around them stared in a mixture of shock and respect, never quite expecting such a tone to come from their forgiving princess.

Even Nigel seemed to adjust his stance to show his respect towards her even if his frown clearly disagreed with the words themselves.

Before anyone else could get a word in, the sound of frantic squeaking reached their ears and they all turned to see Pascal rushing down the hall, chest heaving with his distressed cries.

"Pascal?!"

* * *

Pascal could hear Rapunzel speaking hesitantly to Eugene as he made his way through the door of the medical chamber, slipping between the larger openings of the frame. He knew his friend was very worried about the young boy in the room and even if he did not want to leave Rapunzel's side, he knew that he could at least give her some amount of comfort when it came to Varian.

Making his way into the room, Pascal snuck around the many beds and tables stationed around, making sure to stick closer to the wall and shifting his colors to match whatever it was he was using as cover. Looking around, the chameleon looked for a good spot to both hide but have a view of the room and he spotted one of the higher book shelves off to one of the walls. Scurrying up the nearby tables, Pascal eventually stationed himself up onto the highest shelf of the bookshelf and took this moment to gaze around the room.

There were a few people here and there, but not many. Most notably though was the bed where Varian had been stationed. While many of the other patients were left alone on their bed or even were looking ready to leave, Varian was laying on his back wrapped head to toe in bandages. A physician sat next to him, obviously there for monitoring him for any sudden changes in his condition. Though papers were laid out on the table beside the woman, it was clear she was prepared to act the moment something changed.

From his point of view, Pascal could see Varian but not all the little details of the boy. As mentioned before, he was clearly wrapped in many bandages and wraps, some already discolored, but how bad it truly was beyond that was a guess. He seemed pale to Pascal, but how much that was the nest of white that both lay under him and encased him, and how much that was actually his skin was hard to say. Even from this distance it was difficult to tell if Varian was even breathing, but he must have been if none of the physicians were alerted.

About to hunker down, Pascal paused in his attempts to get comfortable when there was a small flash near of the windows closer to where Varian was resting. It was partially open to allow the fresh air into this room that smelled mostly of sickness and herbs, but still closed enough that a breeze blown through it would not disturb anyone in the room.

However, it wasn't the open window that caught his attention but what was on the other side of the glass. In fact it had been so quick and sudden Pascal thought it was nothing more than a bug only to pause once more when it happened again, only this time there was a bit of gray to accompany the black.

Intrigued, Pascal started to make his way down from the bookshelf and to the window, grateful that it was open at this time. Stealthily making his way across the room, the chameleon was soon on the windowsill and creeping through the opening. Looking back and forth, he at first did not see anything that would have been odd, but it was the second sweep that he finally spotted it.

There, clinging to the wall out of sight of the windowsill, was a very familiar raccoon.

Squawking in surprise, Pascal shifted his colors back to his usual green as Ruddiger let out his own sound of surprise. Moving slightly so the raccoon could once again gain purchase on the windowsill, Pascal tilted his head as he wondered what the raccoon was going here.

At the question, Ruddiger shifted before gesturing into the medical chamber, more pointedly at the boy swathed in white.

Ah, of course. He was as loyal to Varian as Pascal was to Rapunzel. Pascal had wondered where the raccoon had been during all of this, not believing for a second the other willingly left Varian alone and forever. Perhaps he had left due to not wanting to witness Varian fall even further, but Pascal hoped, had believed, that the other had been nearby.

Thinking of that, Pascal directed that question to the raccoon whose ears drooped down at the mention. Much like his ears, Ruddiger's eyes also fell to the ledge beneath them as he softly chittered out his response to Pascal.

According to Ruddiger, he had been with Varian in prison, staying by his side even though everyone else cast him into the dark and condemned him. He tried to comfort Varian through his anger and denial, through his nightmares and his tears. He tried to be the support he needed when Varian let go of his anger, his primary driving force, and fell into a hopeless state knowing he had done too much harm to ever come back from.

When Queen Arianna had visited Varian, Ruddiger did everything to push Varian to accept her help, her comfort. He tried to encourage Varian, to express that not everyone hated him. After some time, Ruddiger thought Varian was starting to brighten up a bit, going so far as to even show some excitement at the thought of the queen visiting him once more.

Ruddiger thought things would get better, that finally there was a hand reaching out to Varian and Varian could see it.

He didn't think about the other criminals in the cells around them.

Sure, they were never quiet. When Varian was first put down here they made their comments but Varian was too bitter to listen. Too bitter to hear anyone, even Ruddiger.

As such their words never got through, not until later.

Not until Andrew started playing mind games with Varian and Ruddiger couldn't stop it.

From there Varian slowly fell into their twisted web of lies and their wicked hands obscured Varian's vision of the hand that had been reaching for him.

Eventually the day came of the break out and Ruddiger tried to dash out, to get help before these people could drag his boy down with them. He didn't get far though before some of the Saporians that had been ordered to go on ahead and take out the guards saw him and caught him, tossing him roughly into a cell deeper in the dungeon and far from where the others were escaping.

Splitting Ruddiger from Varian.

From there, Ruddiger could only watch from afar as they kept Varian from chancing any contact with the raccoon. Varian's lab was kept in a windowless room and a Saporian (usually Andrew especially if Ruddiger from his place of observation caught conflict on his friend's face) was at his side.

At the end of the story, Pascal frowned. He remembered their past encounter with Andrew as well as the way he spoke to Varian when they all returned. It would not surprise him if Varian had been manipulated by the man nor would it surprise him if Andrew planned to keep Ruddiger from Varian. No doubt Varian would have shown his affection towards Ruddiger in the dungeons, and if Andrew saw that as a threat then it would make sense for him to plan around that.

As Ruddiger came to the end of his tale, he had shifted to peer back into the window, no doubt doing as he had done for all the time he's been at Varian's side, checking on the boy he called his friend. There seemed to be a small slouch that sat in his shoulders, the sadness of no change having occurred with Varian.

Again, Pascal could understand. Perhaps not with Varian himself as he was never close to the alchemist and the many attacks done on his friends made him still weary of Varian, he could understand with worrying about his best friend and not being able to be right at his side due to current conditions that are important to his health. If it had been Rapunzel lying there, Pascal would be heartbroken, terrified that any moment she could drift further away.

Moving closer to comfort the raccoon, Pascal used his tail to intertwine with Ruddiger's as a show of support. Ruddiger relaxed a little at that, glancing at the chameleon before returning his gaze back to his ward. Pascal softly told Ruddiger that perhaps when Varian was healthy enough to have visitors, Ruddiger would be able to be at his side then.

More tension seemed to leek from Ruddiger at that.

However, all that was ruined by a sudden choked cough coming from Varian's otherwise still form. The shallow breaths he had been making seemed to cut off entirely as his body began to struggle for air. The physician besides him immediately shot to attention, shouting across the ward to other physicians for assistance. Soon, multiple people were rushing around and making a commotion around Varian.

Startled, both Pascal and Ruddiger jumped at the sudden life in the ward. All the stress Ruddiger had gotten rid of came back ten fold as he watched his friend's life become endangered once more. Pascal, after shaking out of his stupor, shot up from where he had been relaxing and started to move towards the window, prepared to make it to Rapunzel and inform her of what was happening. Only to freeze when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. Turning, he found Ruddiger staring at him in confusion and relayed what he was planning to do.

In response, Ruddiger wondered if Pascal knew where the princess currently was. Nodding, Pascal said she would be either in the dining hall or somewhere close to there, and if she wasn't then he would find her. With a quick glance through the window, Ruddiger offered to help Pascal reach the dining hall faster, rather than scurrying down the halls. Pascal brightened at the offer and stationed himself onto Ruddiger's back, clinging to the fur near the raccoon's shoulder as he began to scale his way to the dining hall's windows.

With Ruddiger's help, Pascal made it there much faster than what it most likely would have taken if he went by himself. Hoping off his back, Pascal thanked Ruddiger before offering to come with him to see the princess. Shaking his head, Ruddiger looked back the way they came, insisting he needed to stay with Varian.

Understanding, Pascal watched him go before turning his attention back to his mission. Going into the castle, he found that Rapunzel was not in the dining room and began to make his way as quickly as he could down the hall, thinking about where she would most likely be. Thinking she probably would want to know what's going on, Pascal started to make his way to the war room. While he wasn't positive she would be there, it was a good place to start as any.

Moving quickly, he dashed his way through the castle, and was rewarded for his guess.

"Pascal?!"

* * *

Rushing to meet up with her life-long friend, Rapunzel scooped Pascal into her hands, eyes large and worried at the state of him.

"Pascal? What is it? Did something happen?" She frantically asked, only to get a very tired, yet determined point back the way he came and a small, single strip of color changed on his scales. Understanding immediately, Rapunzel rushed off, ignoring the questionable shouts behind her.

Bare feet carried her once more to the medical wing of the castle where should hear the quick skittering and loud orders from within the room. Looking at the guards who was stationed at the wing, she asked. "What is happening in there?!"

"We don't know." One of the guards replied but even he looked worried. "But if we had to guess, it is not good."

"You shouldn't go in though, your highness." The other spoke, trying to comfort her but clearly letting her know what should not be done. "The physicians are busy, no doubt trying to fix something dangerous. If you go in, you might distract them or get in the way, but we know you won't do that on purpose of course. Just...it could happen, and you probably should not see what is happening anyway."

"But…" Rapunzel trailed off, knowing the guard was right but all her heart was telling her was to go through that door and see her friend, even if she could not help. With magic hair that original healed any injury or illness, she never had to worry about learning the basics of healing, but now she wished she had, just so she could help her friend.

If only she could heal again.

Seeing the look on her face, the guard tried to give her some more encouragement. "Here, if you just wait out here or nearby, I'm sure a physician will be out soon to update you on what happened."

Familiar hands grasped her shoulders as Eugene's voice reached her ears. "Come on, sunshine. I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's right. We have to wait." He started guiding her back to the room they initially spent the night in, but all Rapunzel could feel was a dull thumping of her blood as she anxiously waited to know what happened to Varian.

In her hands, Pascal offered what comfort he could while Eugene took to her side. Lance had originally followed the group, but stayed to the side and hoped he conveyed his support from there. Though he and Eugene occasionally tried to start up a conversation much as they had done while eating, it was even more stilted and forced as the last.

The worry was so thick it was suffocating.

After what seemed like days but was only an hour or so, a soft knock was tapped on their door as a familiar woman stepped in. Smiling softly, she began to speak.

"I'm sure you're all wondering what happened." She began, shuffling slightly. "There had been a small incident with Varian, but it is taken care of now and he seems stable once more. We'll still be keeping a close eye on him, but you don't have much to worry about."

"What happened?" Rapunzel whispered, voice just as quiet as the physician's.

"Well, if you want to know, I can tell you." Now she seemed a bit more hesitant. "I had...hoped you wouldn't though, since you don't need to have unnecessary worry. Essentially...Varian's lungs began to fill up and needed to be drained so he could breathe more easily once again. We drained it and we hopefully caught it quickly enough that there should not be any more problems. If all goes well, you should hopefully be able to see him soon."

Tears filled Rapunzel's eyes once more and this time she let them fall. Her eyes clenched shut as she imagined never getting to speak with Varian again, and could only shutter as she leaned into Eugene even more for comfort.

"Thank you." Eugene answered for her, his voice a murmur. With a nod, the physician left once more, leaving the group reeling in the room alone.

By the time she calmed down, Rapunzel was already worn out for the day. Saying so to Eugene, he understood and told her to get comfortable while he spoke a few last words to Lance, saying he'll try to keep the other updated. Understanding their need for quiet, Lance gave a soft farwell and left the room. Eugene took his place once again next to Rapunzel, who curled up into him with Pascal moving up onto the shoulder that did not rest against the brunette.

They could only hope they would see Varian soon.

* * *

The rest of that day passed quietly, Rapunzel not having the energy to move, and Eugene and Pascal staying as her constant support. During this time, she did eventually begin to speak, only this time about her feelings towards Cassandra. With so much happening, and having broken down so much, the bottle she typically would set her worries and issues in had cracked. Having already spilled so much of her fears for Varian, the next words to tumble from her mouth were those about Cassandra, the empty, silent room with her settled between the two closest friends of hers was perfect for her heart to come out.

Again, Eugene listened, just as he had promised to do back when he asked her about it in Xavier's secret room. He offered understanding where she needed it and silence where no words would come. Pascal let out the occasional chirp or croak in response to her words, just as dedicated as the former thief.

At some point they drifted off and woke to another day. Not yet wanting to face it, they remained in the room while a servant brought them their meals. It was a little after midday when a familiar soft knock reached their ears, and they both turned to watch as the familiar physician walked in.

"Hello, your highness." She bowed. "Miss Cynthia believes it should be safe for you to visit Varian, though you must be careful and ready to listen to instructions should something occur. Though he made it through the night without any seriously alarming cases, we should still tread carefully especially since he has yet to awaken."

"We can see him?!" Rapunzel cried, shooting up from her seat.

"Yes, your highness."

"Yes! Please, please take us to him!"

They followed the physician back to the medical chamber and softly crept inside. The head physician, Cynthia, gave them a small nod before returning to the papers before her. They made their way closer to the bed where Varian lay, and Rapunzel could not keep the soft cry from escaping her throat at the sight of him.

His body was covered in bandages, some with a tint of red seeping through the cloth barriers. The parts not covered in bandages were either open burns left to heal in the clean air or pale skin between the white layers. Most notable was the gauze around his head, a small layer of it over his ears. Upon the small pieces of pale skin that could be seen, either a small cut was present or some bruising covered the snowy flesh. His eyes appear sunken and entire body lifeless. They would have thought him dead if it wasn't for the incredibly shallow breathing.

He seemed so small there, in the white bed. No goggles or gloves or even flashy clothes. It was all thin limbs and red and white skin.

Hand coming up to her mouth, Rapunzel suppressed another sop as she sat in the single stool by the bedside. Before she could reach for Varian, a small croak came from Pascal.

"W...What is it...Pascal?" She asked hesitantly, taking him from her shoulder. With a point to the window, both Rapunzel and Eugene looked to find Ruddiger waiting on the other side of the glass, expression painfully hopeful at the sight of them in the room.

"Oh!" Rapunzel gasped, turning to look at Cynthia from her seat in the room. "Uh...um...Miss Cynthia? Would it be alright, for one more visitor?" And she gestured to the raccoon outside the window.

Cynthia quirked an eyebrow, but really did not question the rodent on the other side of the glass. She had seen him lingering a few times outside and would have questioned it if it wasn't for who her patient is. Everyone knew Varian had a raccoon beast that was used to hunt the princess. They also knew it went to jail with him, so she had quickly realized why there was a raccoon hanging outside the window.

Glancing between the princess and her companions to the raccoon and to her patient, she replied. "As long as he stays off my patient, it should be fine. I don't want to risk anything getting into those open wounds."

"Understood!" Rapunzel replied quickly. "Thank you!"

Cynthia just waved her hand in reply and turned back to the papers before her.

Eugene, having already been standing, moved to open the window and invite Ruddiger in. When the window was open enough, he offered his arms to the raccoon who hopped into them and was Carried over to his injured boy. At the sight, a small cry could be heard from the raccoon, wanting to reach out to Varian but was held back by the arms holding him.

"I'm sorry," Eugene muttered to the animal. "You can't touch him, not yet."

Hearing the pain filled cry of the raccoon, Rapunzel reached out to gently hold the limb hand of Varian in her own, the weight a horrible thing in her hand.

Swallowing thickly, she apologized. "I'm so...so sorry, Varian. Please get better. I know you can do it."

"You're too stubborn, hair-stripe." Eugene added with a chitter from Ruddiger.

From Rapunzel's shoulder, Pascal let out his own croak of encouragement, curling further into Rapunzel.

Then, not knowing what else to say, Rapunzel began to sing. Her hair did not glow and no life returned to the body before her as the worse fell effortlessly from her shaking lips, but it was all she could bring herself to do now that she sat besides her broken friend.

_"Flower gleam and glow…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that! Hope you liked it. I may be a bit bitter towards Nigel and overall how Varian was treated...maybe a little... Except for Arianna. I love the idea that she reached out to Varian. I've read some amazing stories with that idea and I was like "Must support!"  
> But yeah! Ruddiger was there! Yay! I hope the animal part wasn't too weird. I did not really want them to speak since like...that's how the show did it but it was weird to write. I'd like to know what you all think!  
> Feel free to comment or anything else!  
> Until next time! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, this is another chapter!  
> I don't own tangled obviously.  
> Ok! I am still alive! Sorry if I scared people. Just...I had a busy winter break and now I'm back at collage, but I'm going to try to update when I can! Thank you everyone who loves this so far!  
> Onto the chapter!

It was really no surprise to anyone that Rapunzel was present the moment Varian finally woke up. She spent most of her time by his side ever since they were allowed to see him, speaking softly about her day with both Pascal and Ruddiger sitting on her as they too waited for the boy to wake up. She would only leave his side for meals or for sleep, maybe the occasional talk with Nigel or a citizen, but was otherwise at his side, wanting to help the physicians in little ways to care for him while he slept. Being at his side, she witnessed the wounds he suffered as well.

Most of his skin beneath the thin layer of bandages was ranged between a soft pink and a thick red. The areas Rapunzel remembered that had the thickest covering of clothing such as his arms or hands had the least amount of burns on them, the skin being a soft pink as if he only touched a hot stove. The physicians said those were the least injured areas and would be uncovered in a few days. The main reason they would recover the areas with cloth coated in the balm for the burns was because they did not want to risk the burns being irritated since they were on his hands, feet, and arms. Similar burns covered his back as well, the thick coat he wore being a magnificent cover for his body.

From there, areas such as his chest or head had slightly darker burns, but again the layering of his hair and his shirt provided enough of a cover from the heat of the explosion that they were a darker pink than his arms and hands. Even his face looked more like he spent too long in the sun rather than being next to a fiery explosion. The worst burns that had white pus and blisters from their severity were most notably on the back of his head just above where his neckerchief had been tied and his legs. In fact, his legs had some severe blackened areas around certain parts of the limbs which the physicians believe was due to the actual fire leaping onto the pants at some point.

So, while Rapunzel could see what they meant by his burns not being too severe, he also had cuts that spread across his body. Again, his arms and hands were clear of this damage, but his chest, legs, and head were stippled with cuts and bruises. None of them seemed too deep, mainly superficial, but they also played a part in wrapping Varian up like a mummy. The physicians wanted to keep away any chance of infection if they could. They were also keeping a close eye on his breathing, but other than that, they could not find out anything else until he woke up.

And there had been a few times it seemed like he would. A soft groan would come from his body or there would be a twitch of his eyes. There were even a few times his eyes opened to small slits but it wouldn't be long before he drifted back off to sleep. He never budged, not when a soft broth was forced down his throat or when careful hands changed bandage after bandage.

But still, Rapunzel stayed by his side for as long as she could. She was there the few times his eyes twitched or slid open and closed once more. It took a whole day and a half before there was finally an actual response from the battered body of their friend, and Rapunzel was there to see it.

She had been sitting next to his bed just as she had been multiple times before, book in hand as she softly read. Pascal was perched on one shoulder while Ruddiger was in her lap. Her voice carried softly in the medical chamber, almost like a gentle breeze. As she moved a hand to flip the page, a soft groan came from the bed beside her. Turning to look at Varian, hope swelling in her chest despite the number of times she thought Varian was going to wake up and he didn't. Leaning forwards, she watched as his eyes fluttered open slightly only to clench shut again due to the sudden stimulation of the room. With the sun high in the sky, the room was fairly bright and what the sun could not touch had a candle ready to give light to the working physicians.

"Varian?" Rapunzel called softly, looking for a response. It was easy for her to watch for his reactions since he was left to lay on his side so as to not irritate the burn on the back of his neck. Howere, the only response was more fluttering of his eyes and an attempt to close one of his fists. At the movement of his hand, Varian winced again and his brows furrowed slightly before his eyes attempted to blink open once again.

As blurry eyes opened to lazily drift about, they seemed to focus slightly on Rapunzel.

"Varian? Are you with me?" She asked as Cinthia came over to begin to assess Varian's current state of mind. However, there was still no reply from Varian, his eyes just lazily rolling around. When he focused on her again, his jaw began working, as if he was trying to speak, but nothing seemed to be coming out. "Varian?"

This time, a soft noise came from his battered throat, " ...pl?"

"Yes, yes it's me Varian!" Rapunzel cried, tears in her eyes. "I'm here."

However, with each of her words, Varian just seemed to get even more and more confused. And it did not improve when the head physician made her way to Rapunzel's side and began asking questions.

"Ah, Varian, it's good that you've awoken." She said, giving a small smile. "Now, I can see you're still out of it, but if you can, can you tell me anything? And, it can just be a simple yes or no. Is that alright with you?"

Nothing.

"Varian? Can you understand me?"

He only looked more confused, eyes shifting between the physician and Rapunzel.

"Varian?"

His jaw began working again, but once more only a soft sound escaped his throat. Tears gathered in his eyes as one of his hands twitched, moving up to his ears, ears that once had blood spilling from them. His hand did not move far though before the pain of his burns kicked in and the weak limb dropped back down.

"What's wrong?" Rapunzel asked, seeing the movement but again got no reply. Turning to the physician, Rapunzel repeated her question. "What is wrong with him?"

She hummed. "I feared there would be some brain injury, but it appears to be more than just a concussion. As he just woke up, I am not surprised that he's...out of it, but I think it's more than that." One hand moved forward, which Varian attempted to track in his exhausted and weak state, as Cynthia, snapped her fingers next to the ear not pressed into the pillow.

Nothing. At least, not an obvious response. Varian's eyes widened, but that was it. There was no flinch, not like what the physician would expect from a concussed state and the oversensitivity that came with it, nothing but a wide, teary eyed look.

It was like he could not hear it.

Varian, even in his state, seemed to understand and began to scramble on his bed, but cried out when his burned hands tried to push up his weight. At his cry, he seemed to become even more terrified and screamed again, even louder.

"Varian! What-?" Rapunzel tried to get in only to flinch at another shout from the boy. As he continued to scream and scramble, awareness of anyone around him gone, Cynthia and Rapunzel could only watch and make sure he did not cause too much harm to his injured body. In fact, he was so scared that he seemed to pay no mind to the burns decorating his body and only seemed focused on his lack of hearing. It was such a large commotion that a few guards peaked in only to be shooed out by the other physicians to give the situation some privacy.

As wild as the awakening was, it did not last long due to the condition of Varian's body. One last scream ended up leading to a coughing fit due to the sudden assault on his lungs. He buckled forwards with the cough and Cynthia caught him gently in her arms, bracing his burnt body as gently as she could to help get the lung ripping hacks out before lowering him back to the bed. It seemed it took all the energy out of the alchemist because as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was back out with tears drying on his pink cheeks.

As the commotion ended, Ruddiger made his way onto the bed Varian rested in, eyes sadly gazing at his companion but, due to Varian's injuries, only settled up near his head so he could refrain from touching him. At the same time, Rapunzel turned her shocked and horrified gaze away from Varian's form to look at the physician.

"W-What happened? Why….why didn't he respond to us? Why did he start screaming?"

Cynthia grimaced. "If I were to guess, though I suspect that it is true no matter what, that Varian can no longer hear us. His ears were most likely damaged from the sound of the explosion. It is not that surprising, after all, we've had men lose their hearing from working too long with barking dogs or just from a wrong hit to the head. As for the screaming, well, he was no doubt trying to hear something."

"Will...will that heal? Or…" Rapunzel did not want to say it, she did not want to think about her young friend going permanently deaf.

Cynthia sighed. "Honestly? I don't know. Some have recovered with no remaining issues, while others went permanently deaf. It is really up to his healing, not much we can do." She started moving to one of the tables she had in the room, and motioning for one of the other physicians to keep watch over Varian. Rapunzel hesitated before following Cynthia, hoping the master physician had any more answers for her.

"And...communication? How will he do that? It seemed...it seemed like he couldn't talk very well and with his hands the way they are…"

As Cynthia sat down at the table, she looked up briefly at the princess before taking out a few sheets of paper. "I'll have pre-written questions for him, some that are a simple yes or no, while others will have a few pre-written answers for him to point to. I also noticed the speech but that could be from the concussion he most likely has, or even just the fact this was the first time he woke up for more than a second. However, at the same time something worse could have occurred, but we won't know this until he wakes up and has enough energy and mind to answer my questions."

"That makes sense." Rapunzel replied numbly, not really knowing how else to react. She just found out that Varian lost his hearing and, despite the brief moment of consciousness, it was not enough to confirm anything else with him. This is not including the fact that during the time Varian was awake, he was terrified and scrambling around until the condition of his body forced him back to sleep.

"Your highness," Cynthia spoke up softly, "I think you should take a small break from being at Varian's side. I can tell this awakening was rattling and you should take a breather."

"But-"

"We'll let you know if he wakes up again and is more...coherent. For now, I recommend some fresh air, a small walk if you must. You're in here so much, and while I understand you care for the boy, you need to care for yourself as well."

Rapunzel sighed, body visibly slumping even as a forlorn look overcame her face. "I know...I...alright, yes. That….that sounds like a good idea."

"He woke up and even acknowledged you." Cynthia reminded. "That is very good progress from where he had been."

"I know, I just...I just wish this had never happened." Pascal croaked softly to Rapunzel from his perch on her shoulder before she gave a small smile to the head physician and headed out into the hall. She walked for a while, mindlessly moving through the halls with no real destination in mind as her thoughts remained on the boy in the medical chamber. He was so scared when he became aware of his situation, would he really be alright?

"Rapunzel?"

And if he was ok, how would they talk with Varian? Get their message of regret and guilt across to him without being able to voice it the way it would need to be?

"Oi, blondie!"

Sure, they can write to him, but what if they did not have that ability all the time? It would be easy to forget to carry a charcoal pen and paper with them everywhere, even Rapunzel would risk forgetting despite her love of the arts.

"Hey, can you hear me?"

And what if something happens? What if Cassandra attacks the castle or does something and Varian can't hear it? Oh god, that was another thing they would need to tell him about, but when? Obviously not right away, not before they get their chance to show him how much they care for him, and definitely not while he was still in such a vulnerable condition.

"Rapunzel!"

"Gah!"

Rapunzel was jolted out of her thoughts by a hand gently but firmly falling on her shoulder and she looked up to see both Lance and Eugene standing before her, the latter's hand being the pressure that broke her thoughts.

"Oh...hi, sorry...I was just...lost in thought." Rapunzel greeted with a nervous laugh.

"Hey, you ok?" Eugene asked, rubbing her shoulder slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, just fine...uh...just...Varian woke up...kinda, and," Rapunzel stuttered out before relaying the events that occurred only a short while ago. At the end of her tale, Eugene and Lance looked just as concerned and guilty as she felt, the air weighing heavily around them.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"But he woke up!" Lance broke in, the smile on his face clearly forced. "He woke up and that's good. And, I've met a few people who lost hearing in an ear for a while and they were ok in the end."

"Right, yeah," Eugene agreed, trying to perk up a bit. "Plus, the kid is smart. When he's awake enough, we can come up with an easy way to communicate or something while he's healing."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure he can."

"Sooo, you mentioned a walk?" Lance piped up. "If you don't mind us tagging along, I think it would be a good thing to go walk around town a bit, yeah? I know a lot of the citizens missed you and, well, you've been by Varian's side most of the time, not that I blame you. Just, there's no harm in some fresh air, right?"

"That's a great idea, Lance!" Rapunzel sighed, eyes turning to the window nearby to look down at her city. As much as she wanted to stay by Varian's side, she knew she also had to check up on her citizens especially since her mother and father were still missing their memories. Maybe seeing her people doing well will lift her spirits a little more.

* * *

Everything hurt.

Everything was silent.

His mind felt fuzzy, nothing but the pain feeling real to him. There was a disconnect between his mind and his body, the only bridge seeming to be the aches and pains running through him. His chest felt tight and his eyes seemed to weigh thousands of pounds as they struggled to open. After a few more seconds of fighting against the crust upon his eyes, Varian was finally able to crack them open only to wince when the faint light of the room hit his eyes. However, before he could fully close them, motion caught his gaze and his blurred vision was able to make out a woman crouched before him waving her arm.

Seeing she had his attention, the woman gave a small smile and opened her mouth before closing it. She seemed to do this a few times, Varian's brain sluggishly watching before it clicked that she was supposed to be talking to him. But, then why could he not hear it?

Eyebrows furrowing, Varian tried to focus, using the small concentration he had to attempt to pick up any slight sound, be it voice or just a shuffle of feet. But there was nothing. His breathing began to speed up in his fright, chest tightening even more with the sudden heaving motion his lungs were being subjected to. From within his throat, Varian could feel the vibrations of what must have been a scream, but he could not hear it. Even his own voice was lost to the silence. The lack of breath began to make his vision darken at the edges and a wicked ball to form in his throat from all the commotion. His hands moved to scramble, to clutch on to anything in his panic, but sharp pain accompanied any movement he made, be it from his fingers to the tips of his toes.

But the pain only fueled his panic.

Motion once again was noticed in his vision and he would have ignored it if it wasn't for the hand gesturing in front of him, attempting to lightly direct his gaze to the woman before him. She began gesturing once again when she had his wavering attention, her own chest moving up and down with what seemed to be deep breaths. After a few seconds of doing that, she motioned to him, as though asking him to follow along with what she was doing. Honestly, Varian did not know if he would be able to follow through, but he supposed there was no harm in trying. His first couple of attempts failed, breath getting stuck in his throat and choking him, leading to jerking coughing fits, though none of which reached his ears. Eventually, he was able to follow along and soon he collapsed on his bed once more, energy gone and tears in his eyes.

A few more seconds of catching his breath, the woman drew his attention once more. When his eyes drifted to her, he found her holding up a sheet of paper with words written on it. Forcing himself to remain away, Varian concentrated on the words before he made out what it said:

" _Can you read this?_ "

Taking a few more seconds to himself, Varian went to open his mouth to reply only to pause, close it and nod slightly instead. That action, however, made Varian aware of an injury on the back of his head as it sparked with pain with the movement that made him grimace. The woman seemed to understand and gave a small, sad smile before moving onto the next line of the paper, her finger helping Varian know what she was asking.

 _"Can you hear anything?"_ Tears pricked his eyes again but Varian gave a small shake of his head in response. The woman gave a nod in understanding before moving on, checking his eyes and lightly feeling his head. Though she stayed away from the burned portion at the back of his head and neck, there were still a few areas where the small press of her fingers on his skull made a groan rumble from his throat. She continued on, bringing a small candle close to his face only for Varia to look away from the light due to the discomfort of the small light. She tested how well he could feel on some of the less burned or bruised areas of his skin, to which he was able to feel the light pressure at every point.

Throughout all of her examinations, she would pause to write down on a separate piece of paper before continuing on. Despite how sharp his mind usually is, he couldn't focus beyond the occasion questions she asked him, mind floating in an odd, disorienting haze that could only be pierced by the throbbing pain he was feeling. The lack of sound did not help either, especially since he was unable to focus for very long on things so many times the woman's sudden touch would make him jolt in surprise. A hand waving before his unfocused eyes made him refocus on the woman and the paper she was now holding up in front of him again.

" _Can you try speaking for me?_ " Varian paused, hesitating over this even though he knew it was a simple request. But it felt odd to him, knowing he will speak but won't be able to hear the sound of his own voice as he responded.

The woman gave a small smile and reached over to one of the quills she had ready nearby and wrote on a blank piece of paper.

" _I know it is odd, but I need to observe everything to know if there are any problems_."

He knew that. It was obvious to him he most likely had a concussion and she (who he put together had to be a physician) was only doing her job, but it still left him uneasy at the thought. Noticing his continued hesitation, the woman offered another smile and a thumbs up as a way of encouraging him. Honestly, that got a small smile out of him. Opening his mouth, Varian began to work his jaw and allowed his vocal cords to begin vibrating with the intention of speaking, but even as he spoke something seemed off.

"H….He-ll-llo...I…'mV….Var…-'n." With that sentence he clicked his mouth shut, a flush reaching his cheeks. Even though he could not hear what he said, he felt the slurring and stuttering of his words. He closed his eyes, thus missing the concerned look the woman had cross her face, he tried to get the headache he had to calm down. He could faintly feel the woman continue to check the rest of his body, but he really didn't want to think too much on...anything. Just, everything hurt, everything was quiet.

A soft, but firm tap on his arm had him pulling his eyes open again to see the woman holding up another question. After a few seconds, Varian was able to focus on the words.

' _Do you remember what happened?_ '

Varian stared.

Did he?

His eyes drifted away from the words as he tried to think past his current situation. Pain spiked in his head as he thought, pushing through the haze to try and remember what brought him here. One of his hands twitched at the faint reminder of grasping something in his hands, something he clung to desperately. His chest tightened with the sudden feeling of smoke in his lungs, a tickle making its way to the back of his dry throat. An experiment? No. While it may be a part of it, it was more than that. His brow furrowed, pain spiking again. It was something big, he knew that, but what was it? It was just out of reach.

His eyes drifted about the room, seeing but not processing the people moving around the room. A rather large room, not one he really recognized. With its size, it would have to be part of a big building, something like the castle-

The castle! Corona and the Saporians! Him trying to make it right by blowing up the blimp because it was his turn to clean up his own mess, not-

"Rrr..pnzl?" He slurred, jaw working to form the words that seemed to be just out of his grasping thought's reach. "W...Where? I...Is sh'...o-o…'k?"

His fuzzy vision shot to look at the woman in front of him as the words slipped out of his lips. The woman blinked before moving to write once more on the paper in her hands. After a few seconds, she turned the paper back to him, allowing Varian to read what was written there.

' _The princess is away at the moment. She came out unharmed.'_

Varian let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. That's good. Rapunzel shouldn't have had to get hurt for his mistakes, not again. The woman shifted the paper back into view.

' _Would you like me to get her?'_

"N…" Varian gargled out, his mouth refusing to form the whole word, but he shook his head as well to get his point across. After all, if Rapunzel did not want to be here, then she should not be unless it was her own request. Varian was sure there was a lot left to clean up after his mess, and even though he had tried to help as he could, he acknowledged Rapunzel would still need to pick up the people left behind.

At least he was able to make sure she would be able to help. If she had been on that airship, there was a chance no one could fix what he had ruined.

He was finally able to do something good.

Movement in front of him caught his eyes and he looked to see the woman beginning to gather up her papers and supplies. A question suddenly sparked in his mind, one he knew he needed to know the answer to.

"I...pri…" He paused, struggling to form his question through his throbbing head and lack of sound. Working his mouth, he was finally able to choke out something that he hoped got his point across. "Bars?"

The woman stared at him for a few seconds before reaching out for one of the blank papers and a quill. Taking a few seconds to write, she soon turned it around for Varian to see.

_'Do you mean the dungeon?'_

A stiff nod.

A few seconds passed before his question was answered. _'At the moment, you are to stay in my care until I deem you fit enough to no longer stay in the physician's chambers. After, it is up to the princess what she wants to do.'_

Ah, so he had to wait. That was fine, just reading that was enough to tire him out, so waiting for Rapunzel to tell him his fate was enough for him. If he had to guess, he'll probably go back to jail. Rapunzel was too kind to kill him, and with his current state he doubted she would banish him. Of course, she might do that after he's healed enough. And really, he wouldn't blame her. The only thing he seems to bring to Corona is danger and misfortune. Assuming that the king and queen do not have their memories back yet (a thought that made his chest ache with more than just his damaged lungs), then it is up to Rapunzel to decide his fate. If her parents do get their memories back, well, he will most likely have limited time then.

Maybe Queen Arianna would be merciful?

Varian's thoughts began to drift back to his encounters with her in the prison before sharply pushing away those thoughts. He had no right to think back on the kindness she had offered him, not when he betrayed it so severely.

Though, if she didn't remember him, maybe it would be good for Rapunzel to banish Varian.

After all, no one would go looking for him, looking for answers. Ruddiger was gone, his dad was…, and Arianna would not have to deal with seeing him or hearing about him ever again. Everyone would be spared dealing with him. At most, Rapunzel may feel bad, but she would get over it. She would see it was for the best and, should Arianna get her memories and still (somehow) care for him, then she would eventually see that too was the best option.

Curling into himself as best as he could with his pain, Varian tried to blink away the tears in his eyes. He couldn't cry. After all, he brought this all upon himself.

* * *

Cynthia watched as Varian tried to curl into himself, a clear devastated, yet resigned look on his face. She grimaced at the sight and tried to catch Varian's attention once more to try and comfort the boy, but was unsuccessful.

A sigh left her lips, not knowing what to do at first. She didn't want to leave him like this, but with the princess away, who would comfort the suffering child? She doubted either herself nor any of her assistants would be much help. From what she knew of his story, she was sure that whatever was going through his head was anything good, and if it wasn't good, there may be a chance he won't put all he could into fighting to get his health back.

"Miss," One of her assistants called, making her look away from the broken boy. The assistant then pointed to the window nearby, a window she knew a certain raccoon took to hanging out. When the princess wasn't here, it tended to wait outside, being far out of the way should anything happen, but still keeping vigil over its companion.

She gave a nod of acknowledgement and moved to the window. Pushing it open, she called out the animal's name (which the princess had given her). When the raccoon appeared, she gestured for it to come forward and picked it up to carry to it's boy.

"Now," She started, especially when it was clear the raccoon noticed Varian's consciousness. "I will let you stay by him, but you need to be careful. He still has a lot of wounds, but I think you'll cheer him up." Her eyes flickered to Varian. "He needs a bit of that."

Ruddiger looked up at her before giving what she believed was a nod, before turning back to Varian once he was placed down on the bed. Their movement alerted Varian of their presence. He seemed confused by the sudden dip on his bed, but as soon as he processed it was Ruddiger before him, his breath hitched.

"R-R..'diger?" He croaked out, one hand twitching towards him before it hesitated in the air. Ruddiger chittered, moving to press his head against the bandaged limb and a choked sob ripped itself from Varian's chest. "Ru...ger...I...hic...I though-t you..l-l...g..gone?!"

Another chitter.

Cynthia turned away to get some water for the boy.

When she turned back, Ruddiger was pressed as close to Varian as he dared, nose to a cheek while Varian's hand was gripping his fur, tears streaming down his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was that! So, I did do research about bombs and explosions. Varian's burns fall more under superficial/superficial-partial thickness burns since he had quite a lot of thick clothing on so it was more the heating up of the leather as well as the heat of the explosion that caused those burns. The worse burns were the uncovered/lightly cover areas that no doubt got hit by fire via moving through burning wood/exploding wood. He has a lot of bruises from the force of the explosion as well as a few cuts. His head got a lot of damage most notably because of blast brain. The same is for his lungs along with the fact it was a chemical fire. I am not a doctor though so I'm sorry if something doesn't make sense. If I must, I can make adjustments.
> 
> Also, Varian's speech issues is due to the blast brain. That was a lot of force from that explosion and most definitely injured his brain from more than just a typical concussion.  
> But look! Ruddiger!  
> Feel free to comment or anything else!  
> Until next time! :D

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, that was that. Hope it was ok. This is my first Tangled fic. Let me know if I need to adjust anything. There will be more chapters but like, this is mostly a healing fic, but depending on how it goes it might tie into season 3 episodes more. I shall see how it goes. Main focus, healing our little chemical cinnamon boy.
> 
> Anywho, feel free to comment and stuff!
> 
> Until next time! :D


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